Leave 15 Bourbon Red eggs in nest or incubate?

[eluikart]

My two B.R. hens have a single nest w/ 15 eggs in it, adding one or two per day. It is in their enclosure but under the weather...
They are not setting more than about 25% (?) of the time....It has been a little cold and rainy, even a bit of slush fell on them at one point. Are those eggs in 'stasis' , or are they dead?

I don't have an incubator, and if a good percentage would hatch naturally, I would let them be. I'd really like at least a dozen chicks though.
So........Advice????
Thanks in advance, Ernie in Vermont

 

[ColbyNTX]

Mother nature knows what she is doing! If you don't have a bator then let nature take its course. When they get enough eggs, they will sit.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I agree with ColbyNTX.

 

[Thomasturkey]

I find my hens are more successful when they do not have interference from other hens. When another hen wants to lay her eggs with the broody hen, the eggs can be broken, dirty and smelly. It also makes different hatch dates that can cause some eggs being abandon before they hatch.

I like to date the eggs in the nest as they are laid. Then I know what ones I should toss if the hen does not go broody on schedule.

I always cover my hens next and give them nice bedding. This protects the eggs as well as the hen. I want them to have shade and protection from the weather. A few bales of straw and some plywood on top and it’s a done deal.